The four Ugandan boxers failed to board their return flight on or around August 4, 2026, after the Glasgow Commonwealth Games closed on August 2. Police Scotland confirmed ongoing inquiries on August 5. Ugandan officials emphasised valid visas and the possibility of later returns. A similar pattern involving a Pakistani boxer was also reported. Historical parallels exist from the 2014 and 2018 Games. Sources: Police Scotland, AFP, BBC, NBS Sport, Reuters.
Key Takeaways by Planet Today:
Four athletes remain unaccounted: Team captain Nuhu Batte and three teammates—Angel Katushabe, Ibrahim Kemis and Emily Nakalema—did not join the rest of Uganda’s boxing squad for the return flight after the Glasgow Commonwealth Games.
Police confirm inquiries: Police Scotland stated it has received reports of several athletes unaccounted for and is conducting enquiries while engaging with the Home Office, Border Force and UK visas and immigration.
Visas still valid: Ugandan Boxing Federation officials note the athletes’ UK visas remain current, describing it as too early to label the situation a disappearance and saying some planned later departures.
Asylum reports surface: One of the boxers, speaking anonymously to Ugandan media, indicated the group intended to seek asylum and pursue better training opportunities in Scotland.
Historical pattern noted: Similar cases of athletes remaining after Commonwealth Games have occurred in previous editions hosted in the UK and Australia, underscoring ongoing challenges around post-event departures.
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| Source: Unsplash |
Scottish police confirmed on August 5, 2026, that several athletes who competed at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow are unaccounted for after their teams began returning home. Among them are four members of Uganda’s six-person boxing squad who failed to board their scheduled flight.
The missing athletes have been identified by Ugandan media as team captain Nuhu Batte, Angel Katushabe, Ibrahim Kemis and Emily Nakalema. Two other boxers from the squad, including Aziz Abdul—grandson of former Ugandan president Idi Amin—returned to Uganda as planned. The Games closed on Sunday, August 2, after an 11-day competition involving roughly 3,000 athletes from 74 nations.
Police Scotland issued a brief statement: “Police Scotland has received reports of several athletes who are unaccounted for. Inquiries are ongoing to assess the circumstances, and early engagement is taking place with the Home Office.” Officials are also coordinating with Border Force and UK visas and immigration authorities.
Official Responses from Uganda and Games Organisers
Muhangi Moses, president of the Ugandan Boxing Federation, told AFP it was premature to describe the four as having disappeared. He noted that the athletes’ UK visas remain valid and that team members were free to visit friends or family. Some, he said, had indicated they planned to return later in the week or over the weekend. “It is too early to call it disappearance. Let us wait until their visas expire,” Moses stated.
Uganda’s chef de mission Godwin Kayangwe told BBC Scotland he had “no idea” why the boxers had not appeared for the flight and suspected they were still in Glasgow or elsewhere in Europe. He expressed hope they would return before their visas expire in October and said the matter was now with the Ugandan high commission.
Phil Batty, chief executive of the Glasgow 2026 Games, emphasised that organisers work closely with Police Scotland, Border Force and immigration authorities to ensure athletes arrive and depart according to regulations. Accommodation for athletes ended two nights after their sport concluded under the Games’ length-of-stay policy.
“It is too early to call it disappearance. Let us wait until their visas expire.” — Muhangi Moses, Ugandan Boxing Federation president
Reports of Asylum Intentions
Ugandan sports outlet NBS Sport reported that it had spoken to one of the four boxers on condition of anonymity. According to the report, the athlete said the group intended to seek asylum in Scotland and continue their boxing careers in a country they believed offered better training facilities and opportunities. The boxer appealed to Ugandans for understanding and asked not to be judged for the decision.
Mainstream coverage from BBC, Reuters and The Telegraph has treated these claims as unconfirmed media reports while focusing on the official police and federation statements. Independent and African sports sites have given greater prominence to the asylum angle and noted the pattern of similar incidents after previous Commonwealth Games.
A Pakistani boxer, identified in some reports as Qudrat Ullah or Qudratullah Khan, was also said to have failed to join his team’s departure. Police inquiries cover multiple athletes rather than a single national team.
As Police Scotland continues its assessment and Ugandan officials await the expiry of the athletes’ visas, how should sporting federations and host nations balance the freedom of athletes to remain under valid immigration rules with the practical need to account for every competitor after major international events?
Context from Previous Games
Incidents of athletes remaining after Commonwealth Games are not new. After the 2014 Games also held in Glasgow, dozens of competitors were reported missing or later claimed asylum. Following the 2018 Gold Coast Games in Australia, authorities sought roughly 50 athletes and officials a month after the event, with additional numbers applying for protection. Such cases have prompted repeated discussions about visa conditions, post-event monitoring and the economic pressures that can influence athletes from nations with limited sporting infrastructure.
For the four Ugandan boxers, their competitive results at Glasgow 2026 saw three reach the quarter-finals before elimination and one exit earlier. The two who returned home likewise did not progress beyond the quarter-final stage.
Readers interested in related stories on international sport, migration and institutional responses may find additional context in Planet Today coverage of global events and policy developments.
Primary sources include the Police Scotland statement of early August 2026, comments from Muhangi Moses and Godwin Kayangwe reported by AFP and BBC, NBS Sport’s interview with one of the athletes, and contemporaneous reporting from Reuters, The Telegraph and other outlets. Further updates are expected as visa expiry dates approach and inquiries progress.
Disclaimer for fact-checkers: This account is based on official statements from Police Scotland, Ugandan sporting officials and contemporaneous media reports dated August 4–6, 2026. Claims regarding asylum intentions originate from anonymous media interviews and have not been independently confirmed by authorities; verification should rely on primary police and federation releases as the situation develops.